China to have 800 skyscrapers by 2016

China to have 800 skyscrapers by 2016

China is expected to have 800 skyscrapers, four times more than the United States by 2016, but experts in Beijing called for a rethink of the policy citing environmental damage and maintenance costs.

Five of world's 10 tallest buildings are in China, the Shanghai-based Skyscrapers Magazine said.

Hong Kong had the most skyscrapers of any Chinese city with 58, followed by Shanghai with 51 and Shenzhen with 46, the magazine said in a report prepared after a year-long study of tall buildings in China.

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Image: The Shanghai World Financial Centre in Pudong District of Shanghai.Photographs: Reuters

China to have 800 skyscrapers by 2016

Even cities with fewer than a million residents have undertaken skyscraper projects, according to the report.

For example, Fangchenggang, a city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is planning to build a 528-metre skyscraper, higher than the Shanghai World Financial Centre, which is currently the third tallest building in the world.

"If space in the skyscraper can't be sold or leased, skyscraper construction could lead to bad debt because investors borrow money to finance the project," Yin Kunhua, deputy director at the Shanghai Real Estate Economy Society said.